Weekly Discussion Thread: Weddings on Public Holidays

Agnieszka

Hi there.

Sorry I skipped a weekly thread, we had a new addition to our family not too long ago, and things just got a bit out of control :lust

I am curious how everybody is treating weddings on public holidays? Do you ad an additional fee, if a couple wants to book their wedding on let's say Christmas or NYE? Would love to hear everybody's opinion :ear

zoomer

For the 4th and Labor day I freeze those weekends for myself, will not take a wedding. Those are the only holidays during our 6 month season.
I do pretty much 0 weddings the rest of the year.
I advertise myself as an outdoor specialist so very seldom get an indoor wedding.

However I have contemplated adding an extra heat index fee in August. It is so hot,
I did two wedding last year when it was 106 and at venues where there was almost no shade....not worth it.

Art Scott

I am in a service business and believe that I should be available when my services are needed.........I have shot portraits when people have family they have not seen in a very long time in town......as to adding extra fees.......only if I feel right off the bat that they are trying to take advantage of me........a portrait only takes an hour or 2 most of the time so I don't get all uptight about it........I am one of a few photogs that will shoot a wedding on Sunday....but hey the 7th Day Adventists are people also and their vegan dishes are great...........I do not charge extra for a Sunday wedding....I do not penalize any one just because their Sabbath is different from mine...........

Would I charge extra for a X-mas eve wedding.....probably not....a Christmas day wedding yes, that is a day for family only...........NYE.....no no extra charge or any of the other holiday eve's either.......

As I started out I am in a service business and need to be available when clients need me.......most of the plumbing shops in this area have stopped charging OT for after 5pm and weekend calls.....and their business has been increasing.............

Moogle Pepper

Whoa, Zoomer, what is your constant temp for summer?

As long as there are wicked details on Christmas/Christmas Eve or NYE weddings, I am good to go.

tenoverthenose

I've never been a fan of additional fees. I only charge one flat rate and add on for travel expenses when I hop on a plane. In the case of holidays, it just comes down to whether or not I want to do it.

mmmatt

Hey in this economy I take em' when I can get em'! Have yet to do a July 4th wedding though but hope to soon. Fireworks would make a nice addition to my portfolio!

Matt

Agnieszka

mmmatt wrote:

Hey in this economy I take em' when I can get em'! Have yet to do a July 4th wedding though but hope to soon. Fireworks would make a nice addition to my portfolio!

Matt

Yeah, I don't ad any fees wither, but was always curious if other photographers did. BUT having said that I'd charge extra for any NYE weddings // IF I'd ever shoot one again. Last time I burned my fingers .... I refuse any weddings past mid October (I prefer doing my posed pics outside) ... Of course I always end up being talked into weddings until mid November, but that's an other story. Anyway. I once agreed to do a NYE wedding, as I really like the couple. It was a half-disaster. There was a HUGE snow storm, everybody was running late, the hotel was a cave (I had absolutely no day light), and the venue itself had no nice place for the posed pics (I thought I'd shoot a few outside, in the snow) .... it was BAD. I ended up shooting in a REALLY bad hotel hallway ... YUCK.

The couple only booked me until 11pm, and I had my husband come and pick me up at 11.30. ... Of course the couple decided to have me stay for an other 1.5h the day off ... but my husband was not having it, as the roads were HORRIBLE, and he expected a lot of drunk drivers on the streets. So he refused to pick me up any later than 11.30pm. It was a bad night, let's just say that.

The couple ended up loving the photos, but I could never ever be convinced to shoot again in the winter months (kuddos to you sneaky feather!! ).

As for July 4th weddings ... I was booked to shoot one 2-3 years ago. The couple was again super nice, and they planned to do it on a ship ... on the Charles River in Boston. Come on, how do you say no to that?? ... WELL, I didn't. Was already looking forward to the fireworks and all the yummy photos, but of course not only did it rain that day (!), THE BOAT ALSO DIDN'T EVER GO TOWARDS THE FIREWORKS (I mean seriously ... don't you think you have to mention that to a July 4th couple????) The couple had no idea, and was heart broken ... the ship went THE OTHER WAY and they never saw ANY fireworks!! ...

Having said all that, I don't do any Christmas, July 4th, NYE weddings at all. Oh, and I'll also refuse to do any wedding on my birthday (after my wedding last year .... with a couple that ended up getting divorced 5 months later because he robbed a bank / did I ever tell you guys this story?? Yeah ... was not a good birthday). I have no troubles shooting on any other holiday weekends, for no additional fee, but certain dates are a no-go for me ...

mmmatt

Agnieszka wrote:

with a couple that ended up getting divorced 5 months later because he robbed a bank / did I ever tell you guys this story??

It is OK to threadjack your own thread... just in case you want to tell that one!

Matt

heatherfeather

Yeah nokidding! Tell! Tell! You can't leave us hanging like that!

"Once upon a time, the worlds most fantastic photographer shot a wedding on her birthday... ..... ...... ....

pwp

tenoverthenose wrote:

I've never been a fan of additional fees. I only charge one flat rate and add on for travel expenses when I hop on a plane. In the case of holidays, it just comes down to whether or not I want to do it.

Ditto!

mmmatt

Nice! That is one for the books for sure!

Matt

heatherfeather

Oh, I am glad I popped on here before you erased it. Nicely told Angie.
Maybe you should add a question to your contract to ask if they have robbed a bank......

I once had a groom that wouldn't kiss his bride... even after the ceremony. That was a similar situation. So weird.

Agnieszka

heatherfeather wrote:

I once had a groom that wouldn't kiss his bride... even after the ceremony. That was a similar situation. So weird.

because he was shy?? I only had one groom try that ... , and he regretted it later, as I made them kiss ... a LOT Luckily he had a good sense of humor, so it was quite funny (& they did end up with a lot of non-kissy photos too, so no worries )

mmmatt

I've known of gay men who married women for tax bennefits and as an extreme closet... I wonder if that was the situation there. Kinda like Bill and Hillary but she is the alt. lifestyle and he is the playboy/political vehicle.

matt

heatherfeather

I don't know if he was gay... but I don't think they even kissed during the ceremony. She wasn't shy... quite lovey-dovey. He was just strange.

l.k.madison

We got married on a Sunday, not for religious reasons, but because it was the one year anniversary of the day we met, a day that was special to us. We had a lot of friends and family that couldn't make it, but we didn't care, we wanted that day for our anniversary so we did it. Sunday 6 pm wedding, it was over by 10, so our guests weren't out *too* late.

As far as not kissing the bride, that's just weird... Some religions won't let the bride and groom kiss during the ceremony, they're just pronounced man and wife.

jeffreaux2

I shot one on Easter Sunday last year.

I am close friends with the brides Father and knew them to be a deeply spiritual family. No extra charges.

Kinkajou

Oh wait, you posted the story and the erased it? I can't believe I missed it!

Have not been asked to do a holiday wedding yet... The closest is my sister's wedding this coming Memorial Day weekend in Martha's Vineyard. New England in May, my sister, my family, a wedding, and me with my camera? Yes, please!

I have no idea what I would do if I was asked to shoot a holiday wedding. Guess that's one more policy I need to figure out Christmas and Thanksgiving are probably out for me unless they are in the same town as my family... we live far apart (Great Lakes to Gulf Coast) so I only get to see them a couple times a year. It's not worth it for me to miss that. The other holidays I would probably do, though.